An open discussion of the effects of rapid technological change on media and society in general--and the hobby of amateur radio in particular by Don Keith N4KC.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Radio waves from hallowed ground

Let me digress from the usual for a short post about an upcoming event that will have absolutely no significance to most of you. It will, though,be near and dear to the hearts of my fellow amateur radio operators, and especially those of us who enjoy communicating with groups who set up in remote locales for what we call "dx-peditions."

But there is another reason I am excited about this particular operation. Using the call sign K4M, the "hams" will be set up and communicating from Midway Island in the middle--thus the name--of the Pacific between San Francisco and Tokyo. Some--though not nearly enough--also know it as the spot where one of the key battles in naval history was fought in 1942. Many feel the course of the war, and thus of history, was altered just a few wavelengths away from where the hams and the gooney birds--the islands only permanent residents now--will share sand the next few weeks.

Now, for those who don't know, I have written several books about the exploits of U.S. submarines in the Pacific during World War II. That little atoll somewhere northwest of Hawaii played a huge role in the success those submarines...more correctly, those submariners...had in doing more than their share of winning the war.

One of the most remarkable things that I wrote about was a former submarine commander...one who gave up his commission because he thought he was not being effective enough. That gentleman actually won a submarine command back in a poker game. He was the XO at the sub base on Midway when, one night in a heated card game, he made a daring move and took a huge pot. The base commander was one of the players at the table who lost, but he was duly impressed with how Commander Joe Enright played his hand.

"Joe, if you ran a submarine the way you played that hand, I'd give you the next boat that comes in," he said. And he did.

Enright ended up as skipper of USS Archerfish. All he and his brave crew did on that first patrol was sink the biggest ship that has ever been sunk by a submarine--the Shinano, a massive, "unsinkable" aircraft carrier caught emerging from Tokyo Bay on her maiden voyage.

But now you see why I am especially excited about talking to guys who will be set up on that hallowed ground, contacting fellow amateur radio ops around the world. It will be a new tally mark in my "Countries contacted" column. But I will also be proud to talk to that gooney-bird covered sliver of sand in the Pacific because of the brave men who stopped over there more than sixty years ago.

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This blog is intended to be a forum for rational discussion about activities and issues related to changing technology as it affects all of us, including but not limited to the wonderful hobby of amateur radio. Your participation is not only welcomed, it is encouraged. I'm not aware of anything similar in the "blogsphere," so I hope this simple effort will become an active "frequency" where everyone will feel free to discuss topics in a reasonable way and learn from each other. Nothing is off limits! Technical posts are welcome, as well as comments and thoughts about regulations, modes of operation, operating practices, media, advertising and other rapid technological change and its effect on society.

Change is inevitable. How we react to that change will determine how it effects our lifestyles, our families, our hobby.

I also hope this blog will lead to more thoughful and well-informed discussion than what we typically see on such forums as eHam.net and QRZ.com. And that it will become an active Elmer forum for others interested in or new to amateur radio.

I've been involved with technology all my life, but mostly as it applies to media. I was first licensed as an amateur radio operator...ham radio...in 1961 at the age of 13 as WN4BDW...later WA4BDW. I changed my call sign to N4KC in the 1970s when I got my Extra Class license. I enjoyed a 22-year career in broadcasting and was twice named BILLBOARD magazine's "Broadcast Personality of the Year." I then developed and marketed software to the media and advertising agencies, including a 4-year run with Arbitron, the radio ratings company. Until my retirement in May 2012, I was senior vice-president of advertising and communications for a chain of career colleges headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. I'm also an author with over 25 books in print. My personal web site is www.donkeith.com, where you can find info on the books.
My ham radio site is www.n4kc.com. I post articles there I hope are of interest to other amateur radio enthusiasts, and especially newcomers to our wonderful hobby.